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Last weekend was a memorable day for me and Boon Yee (no3) at Dads Adventure Hub. We had signed up for a one-day Adventure Camp with Dad, organised by Centre for Fathering.
Daddy and son got to understand each other better through Rockwall climbing, Dark-maze, high elements and a (charred) BBQ dinner.
Our playground, Dads Adventure Hub at the Tennery (Junction 10). We heard this “playground” is sponsored by Far East Organisation, the indoor facility meant families can enjoy the activities 365 days, regardless of inclement weather.
After a few rounds of ice-breaking games. We got to know the other parent-child grouping better.
Ice breaking was designed for Daddy to know more about his child too. It was embarrassing that I did not know the name for Boon Yee’s best friend and form teacher.
Our instructor gave the analogy of a lost-child, if the parent cannot tell Police or School the child’s class, teacher, best friend, or hangouts. It would be harder to conduct a search.
Let me go through some of the FUN, and confidence-building activities at Dads Adventure Hub.
I got to admit, some moments were nerve-wrecking, especially when my 28kg Boon Yee belayered me (75kg) up the Rock WALL!
Yee : ” Daddy, Sit on Harness, Lowering!”
1) I am not the only Dad who had doubts when your child ask you to “Sit on harness” and crew gets ready to lower you. In my mind, I was thinking “ARE YOU SURE? ARE YOU READY? ” in between perspiration!
You should see the Dads’ faces when they touch the floor.
** Relieved and Pride! **
Dilemma for some of us. We want our kids to be confident lads, but when we saw the little ones struggling with the rope (literally), and Dads dangling 5 metres up (cough)…
On the other hand, I need to try very hard to conceal my own fears, and instead give my boy a broad smile and thumbs-up. It is optional but highly encouraged to shout “Good Job Boy!” haha.
I guess we parents sometimes over-protect our kids too. Or we like to underestimate (undermine) the child’s ability.
(Disclaimer– Do not start asking your child to diy-belayer you, we had safety officers and assistant belayers at Dads Adventure Hub to make sure everyone go back in one piece)
The kids generally had problems beyalering, due to their smaller sizes haha. As the Dads descended, kids started to float and harness would made their crotch uncomfortable ooops.
Photo below proved that we can always rely on our family and community to stand by us. (Hello Winston from http://blogfather.sg)
To be fair, I had belayered Boon Yee up too, my adventurous boy loved the climbing and dangling experience.
2) We both love the Dark Maze. It was so dark we could not see our fingers. The illustration below is not drawn to scale or even correct orientation, but it does highlight us as guinea pigs crawling through a series of obstacles before we found the exit.
Tunneling in pitch dark zone, “swimming” under thousands of balls, and gingerly feeling our way forward, upward. The kind Organiser even planted some SLOPES for Daddy and child to roll-over!
Under such dire circumstances, Daddy and child had to rely on each other’s judgement and navigational sense.
Daddy empowering their child to Lead the way. In life, we would not have an answer for everything, sometimes we just need to TRUST our kids’ judgement to make their own decision.
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Boon Yee’s summary says it all. Teamwork!
Be it Right or Wrong turn, we can learn from our experience.
3) If high elements are too easy, we can always blindfold the child. The child would need to have complete faith in his parent to guide him across the obstacles.
Dad : “Son, grab the rope infront, stride your leg to reach the other plank, balance yourself etc etc. This was definitely a challenge for kids and adults alike!
Boon Yee struggled initially, but once he got comfortable (and confident) with my instructions, he was able to navigate through the obstacles without any mishaps.
If we fall, just pick ourselves up again.
I gave him some confidence booster before we embarked on our course. I hope I managed to convince Boon Yee that he can count on me and family for guidance and support.
4) Hello Wake UP! Our sausages burnt already. Poor boy is tired after a whole day of activities.
JOKING, our chicken wings were burnt to a charcoal crisp too! The fault was mine (not Ah Yee’s) as I sucks at BBQ. I always manage to overcook my food #DaddyCannotCook hee hee.
In Life, the path ahead might not always be smooth, but we have to put in our best efforts!
Nevertheless BBQ was fun, give us credit for trying our best. I did remove the charred skin before sharing the otah, wings and sausages with boy.
At the end of the session, parents had to expressed their affirmation for our child. I am always impressed with Boon Yee’s Big Heart and ability to forgive 🙂
My Son Boon Yee, I love you.
A big shoutout to the friendly instructors and fellow Daddy child kakis.
You guys made my Saturday a memorable one 🙂
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On a side note, Boon Yee made me a proud Dad recently. He joined me for a simple run, but I enjoyed his companionship tremendously.
My only wish for my kids is for them to be Happy.
If they are Happy, I am Happy 🙂
If you are looking for a way to bond with your child (in a structured manner), I hope you will find Adventure Camp with Dad challenging and fun.
I did not cover some of the events and activities, as I believed some suspense would be good for you to explore with child 🙂
Check out some other bonding activities with my kids.
– Boon Kang 3D2N (Farm at Koref), our hiking explorations
, Taman Negara with Boon Wee, 2D2N Broga Hill and Sky Mirror with Boon Yee
